Sober Curator Podcast

Alysse Bryson
  • 5.0 (48)
  • Entertainment News
  • Updated Weekly

Getting sober matters. Staying sober matters more. That’s the whole premise. The Sober Curator Podcast brings sober lifestyle, pop culture and recovery to the mic with personality, perspective and a glitter bomb of honesty. Founder and host Alysse Bryson (sober since May 1, 2006, and self-described Kevin Bacon of Recovery) is joined by co-host and show producer Tamar Routly of Podcast Impact Studio, plus a rotating bench of global Sober Curator contributors who pull up a chair as co-hosts. What we cover, episode to episode: Happy Every Hour: zero-proof drinks, NA beer, spirits and cocktails, reviewed by people who actually drink them. Health and Wellness: mental health, physical health and what recovery looks like on a Tuesday. Lifestyle: dating, parenting, shopping, style and the everyday logistics of alcohol-free living. Entertainment: quit lit, movies, TV, music, sports and celebrity sobriety, rated with our proprietary Sobees. Spiritual Gangster: Jesus to astrology, stoicism to the Celtic calendar. Travel: sober events, sober retreats, Sobriety in the City and global travel without a drink in hand. We also review other sober podcasts on Recovery Podcastland, dig into sponsored product spotlights, and go deep with contributors on how they got sober and what keeps them there. New episodes drop as video on YouTube and audio everywhere you listen. Want more? BACKSTAGE with The Sober Curator is our membership community with Media Nights, Studio Nights, Edutainment Nights and The Sober Curator Mixtape, a monthly mini-zine delivered in a cassette case. Details at https://thesobercurator.com/backstage-with-the-sober-curator/ Whether you’re sober curious or decades in, we’ve got you. We’re not here to help you get sober. We’re here to help you live sober and love it. Rate, review and subscribe. It takes 60 seconds and we will love you forever. Contact: thesobercurator@gmail.com

  1. 6h ago

    A.J. Daulerio on The Small Bow, Getting Sober in the Middle of the Hulk Hogan Trial, and Why Sober Media Needs a New Category

    A.J. Daulerio got sober in the middle of the Hulk Hogan trial. Three months in, every defect of character he had was being read to a jury. He calls it fourth step dinner theater. Then he built The Small Bow, the recovery publication Alysse was embarrassed she didn’t know about: literary essays, free Zoom meetings every day of the week, a podcast, and now a book. Two magazine people and a producer try to name the category they’re in, and mostly fail. In this episode: Why AJ interviews himself in the car (and who he pretends is asking)“Sober BuzzFeed” vs. “literary meat”: what each of us is building and who it’s forThe Harper’s story about AA that made AJ pay $100 a year, and why nobody writes for people who are past rock bottom and a little adriftAbstinence, sobriety, recovery: why 12-step is one of nine things AJ doesThe Hulk Hogan trial, the Uber driver who didn’t care, and the lesson in humilityThe Small Book, out Dec. 29 Heads up: this one goes to some dark places, including a reader AJ lost and a friend Alysse lost. Take care while listening. CHAPTERS 00:00 The train, off the tracks 01:28 AJ interviews himself in the car 05:34 How Alysse found The Small Bow 11:39 “Chicken soup for the dark night of the soul” 14:40 Are we wellness? Sound baths and trust falls 15:19 Sober ten years, and the problems get classier 18:54 Abstinence, sobriety, recovery: 12-step is one of nine 26:35 The Harper’s story that started everything 29:58 Literary meat vs. sober BuzzFeed 41:15 Fourth step dinner theater: the Hulk Hogan trial 46:57 “I’m the writer. I’m the human.” 48:47 “So you met Hulk Hogan?” 57:17 What AJ would tell year one 01:01:59 “Fast-forward to the part they get sober” Sober Shots: “You’re allowed to build your whole life around a routine nobody will ever write a headline about.” (Alysse Bryson) “All the things that I thought were being taken away from me were also the things I needed to let go of the most.” (A.J. Daulerio) Mentioned in this episode: - The Small Bow - The Small Book, out Dec. 29 - I’m The Sober Curator, and I Just Found The Small Bow - S2E17 with Paulina Pinsky - Backstage with The Sober Curator Getting sober matters. Staying sober matters more. SEASON 2 MERCH: https://shopthesobercurator.com/ SC RESOURCES: - Meet the Contributors - Alcohol + Substance Use Disorder Guide - Recovery Nonprofit Resource Guide - LGBTQ+ Recovery Resource Guide – Family Resource Guide CONNECT: www.thesobercurator.com | The Sober Sip newsletter: https://www.thesobercuratornewsletter.com/ | @thesobercurator on Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube + Pinterest Love the show? Rate, review + follow. It takes 60 seconds and helps more people find us. Feedback + guest ideas: thesobercurator@gmail.com Hosted by Alysse Bryson with co-host + producer Tamar Routly. For informational and entertainment purposes only; not a substitute for professional advice. Music: TSC S2 theme “Sober Shots” created by Alysse Bryson using Suno AI, under Suno’s commercial license.

  2. Oct 21

    Sober October Sips: The Best NA Beers, Spirits, and Fall Cocktails

    Every October, half the internet finds out what it's like to be the one holding a club soda at a party. Some of us have been doing Sober October for years, and the drinks have gotten a lot better since the O'Doul's days. This week, Alysse and Tamar sit down with the two people who know exactly what to pour: Kim Parsley and Justin Lamb, who hold down The Sober Curator's Happy Every Hour section. Kim covers NA spirits and cocktails. Justin is roughly 150 NA beer reviews in and still can't find a non-alcoholic single malt scotch. In this episode: - Sober October, Dry January, and "the always forgotten Dry July": eye roll, gateway drug, or marketing? - Justin's fall NA beer list from 2024 still pops off, and some of the breweries on it are gone - Why celebrity NA beer brands might not want sober customers (and why there should be room at the table) - The "drink as prescribed" rule for trying NA spirits for the first time - Kim builds Justin an NA Negroni and Alysse a pink Barbie Cosmo on the spot - The one drink each of us is pouring for the rest of fall, plus what we're eating with it CHAPTERS 00:00 Club soda at the party 02:01 The Sober Curator Mixtape 04:16 Sober October: eye roll or gateway drug? 09:44 From craft beer to NA beer 13:36 Kim's piano bar and Tanqueray 0.0 17:55 The 2024 fall beer list, two years later 20:22 "The War on Alcohol" and the SNL sketch 23:37 "They don't want recovered addicts" 25:23 TOMONOTOMO: drink as prescribed 29:30 What drink are you? 30:57 Which NA spirits can you sip neat? 33:41 "I drink Diet Coke" 37:48 One drink for the rest of fall TSC Articles mentioned in this episode: - Justin's Top 10 Non-Alcoholic Beers for Fall - Kim's TOMONOTOMO Tobalá review - SNL's "Non-Non Alcoholic Beer" sketch, pro or con - “It’s Always Sunny,” NA Beer and the Joke That Didn’t Land for Me - The Sober Curator Mixtape (Sober Snail Mail) - Backstage with The Sober Curator Getting sober matters. Staying sober matters more. SEASON 2 MERCH: https://shopthesobercurator.com/ SC RESOURCES: - Meet the Contributors - Alcohol + Substance Use Disorder Guide - Recovery Nonprofit Resource Guide - LGBTQ+ Recovery Resource Guide - Family Resource Guide CONNECT: www.thesobercurator.com | The Sober Sip newsletter: https://www.thesobercuratornewsletter.com/ | @thesobercurator on Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube + Pinterest Love the show? Rate, review + follow. It takes 60 seconds and helps more people find us. Feedback + guest ideas: thesobercurator@gmail.com Hosted by Alysse Bryson with co-host + producer Tamar Routly. For informational and entertainment purposes only; not a substitute for professional advice. Music: TSC S2 theme "Sober Shots" created by Alysse Bryson using Suno AI, under Suno's commercial license.

  3. Oct 14

    Is Weed Addictive? Paulina Pinsky on Marijuana Addiction, Miss Piggy, and the Life Waiting on the Other Side

    In the fourth grade, Paulina Pinsky was cast as Miss Piggy on Ice. At eight, she was praying to Elvis before skating competitions. By her twenties, she was smoking weed every day and telling everyone it was medicine. Now she's almost five years sober, writes the Substack newsletters Newly Sober and Process Over Product, and she's our newest Sober Curator contributor, bringing something we haven't covered enough: marijuana addiction. Alysse and Tamar talk with her about Muppets, Graceland, and the rhetoric that kept her high. In this episode: Miss Piggy on Ice, and Alysse's family link to Miss Piggy's wardrobeThe TCB necklace, lost for 15 years and found the day before we recorded"Weed took me down": why Paulina says the public was lied toDependence vs. addiction, and why the label matters less than the habitThe one question to ask about any substance: is this helping or harming me?Nostalgia in sobriety, The Artist's Way, and getting your inner child back CHAPTERS 00:00 Miss Piggy on Ice 01:48 Alysse is Muppet royalty 03:51 Muppet Recovery 04:47 An 8-year-old obsessed with Elvis 09:29 A word from our sponsor: Aura House 1 0:17 "Paradise" and a Graceland plot twist 13:53 Elvis, performance, and addiction 16:56 The TCB necklace, lost and found 21:51 "Not a doorknob": picking a higher power 22:37 Dollywood, Diet Coke, and cinnamon bread 29:13 Welcome to the contributor family 30:16 "Weed took me down" 36:50 What weed costs you 37:58 Dependence vs. addiction: does it matter? 42:31 "Never Enough" by Dr. Judith Grisel 48:35 Is this helping or harming me? 51:17 Nostalgia, sobriety, and 50 going on 13 53:08 The Artist's Way and coming back to yourself 56:07 Why do you think you have to be high to be yourself? 1:00:17 Where to find Paulina Sober Shots: "Why do you think you have to be high to be yourself?" (Paulina Pinsky) "I just appreciate it's not a doorknob, personally." (Alysse Bryson) Mentioned in this episode: Paulina Pinsky: www.paulinapinsky.com| Instagram @paulina_pinsky | TikTok @paulinapleaseNewly Sober on Substack: https://paulinapinsky.substack.com/Weed Dependence vs. Addiction, by Paulina Pinsky: https://thesobercurator.com/weed-dependence-vs-addiction/Backstage with The Sober Curator Getting sober matters. Staying sober matters more. SEASON 2 MERCH: https://shopthesobercurator.com/ This episode is brought to you by Aura House. Save 10% with code TSC10: https://go.shopmy.us/p-64140200 SC RESOURCES: Meet the ContributorsAlcohol + Substance Use Disorder GuideRecovery Nonprofit Resource GuideLGBTQ+ Recovery Resource GuideFamily Resource Guide CONNECT: thesobercurator.com | The Sober Sip newsletter | @thesobercurator on Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube + Pinterest Love the show? Rate, review + follow. It takes 60 seconds and helps more people find us. Feedback + guest ideas: thesobercurator@gmail.com Hosted by Alysse Bryson with co-host + producer Tamar Routly. For informational and entertainment purposes only; not a substitute for professional advice. Music: TSC S2 theme "Sober Shots" created by Alysse Bryson using Suno AI, under Suno's commercial license.

    Is Weed Addictive? Paulina Pinsky on Marijuana Addiction, Miss Piggy, and the Life Waiting on the Other Side

  4. Oct 13 ·  Bonus

    BONUS: Why Sober Sports Are Actually Better | BACKSTAGE w/ TSC REPLAY

    Golf has the 19th hole. Skiing has après. Every sport comes with a drink attached, and three sober athletes on three continents decided to keep the sport and lose the drink. In this bonus episode, recorded live at BACKSTAGE with The Sober Curator, SOBA Golf founder Corey Davis, Soberski founder Ben Coombes and electric skateboarder Bianca Criaco join Alysse Bryson and co-host Tamar Routly to talk obsession, potential and the rush that beats the buzz. In this episode: - How Corey went from a 30 index to a 3 in four years, and why golf has no finish line - Why Ben quit drinking in the one place he knew would be hardest: a ski resort - Bianca on how an electric skateboard got her through early sobriety, and finishing dead last at nationals - "Mr. Potential" and what happens when you finally stop wasting it - Walking shoulder to shoulder: why sport gets people talking - What each guest's sport gives them on a bad day CHAPTERS 0:00 Welcome to BACKSTAGE: Sober Sports 1:52 Corey Davis and SOBA Golf 6:13 Ben Coombes and Soberski 9:25 Bianca Criaco and electric skateboarding 13:21 "I came in dead last" 13:54 How sport changes recovery 22:27 Sober on top of a mountain 23:47 How fast is an electric skateboard? 29:12 The guests interview each other 30:10 "Mr. Potential" 33:52 Intuition over potential 41:33 Quitting in the hardest place first 46:30 Hindsight: be relentless 50:38 What your sport gives you on a bad day 54:51 Wrap-up Sober Shots: "With golf, there's no destination." (Corey Davis) "Joy, especially for me, is something that I don't think I've had my entire life." (Bianca Criaco) Mentioned in this episode: - SOBA Golf: https://soba.golf - Soberski: https://www.soberski.co.uk  - Bianca Criaco + The Choice podcast: https://www.biancacriaco.com - Hear more from Ben on Episode 16: https://thesobercurator.com/sober-ski-trips-are-real-inside-soberskis-alcohol-free-chalet-week/ - Join BACKSTAGE for live conversations like this every month Getting sober matters. Staying sober matters more. SEASON 2 MERCH: https://shopthesobercurator.com/ SC RESOURCES: - Meet the Contributors - Alcohol + Substance Use Disorder Guide - Recovery Nonprofit Resource Guide - LGBTQ+ Recovery Resource Guide CONNECT: www.thesobercurator.com | The Sober Sip newsletter: https://www.thesobercuratornewsletter.com/ | @thesobercurator on Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube + Pinterest Love the show? Rate, review + follow. It takes 60 seconds and helps more people find us. Feedback + guest ideas: thesobercurator@gmail.com Hosted by Alysse Bryson with co-host + producer Tamar Routly. For informational and entertainment purposes only; not a substitute for professional advice. Music: TSC S2 theme "Sober Shots" created by Alysse Bryson using Suno AI, under Suno's commercial license.

    BONUS: Why Sober Sports Are Actually Better | BACKSTAGE w/ TSC REPLAY

  5. Oct 7

    Sober Ski Trips Are Real: Soberski Founder Ben Coombes on Skiing the French Alps Without the Après

    Some people look at a mountain and see a party. Ben Coombes used to be one of them: magnums of rosé at lunch, shots on the chairlift, and more near misses than he can count. Then he tried something nobody in a ski resort does. He did a sober season. Now Ben runs Soberski, alcohol-free chalet weeks in Méribel in the French Alps, and he’s our newest Sober Curator contributor. Alysse and Tamar (a snowboarder, it turns out) talk with him about what happens when you keep the mountain and lose the après. In this episode: Ski, work, or drink: pick two. Ben’s seasons driving guests for a luxury chalet companyThe sober season that became an Instagram page, then a businessThe first booking came from New Jersey, and Ben thought it was a scamNever skied? Ben’s guest who went from zero to flying around the mountain in about six hours of lessonsPrivate chefs, cold plunges, daily yoga, and evening workshopsThe January 22 to 29, 2027 week in Méribel, and who it’s for (sober, sober curious, or just done with hangovers on holiday)Ben’s pick for your queue: “The Gentlemen” on NetflixWhy Ben didn’t build a support group on a mountain. He built a room. CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open 01:29 You got sober. Now what? 04:06 Falling for the mountains at 21 05:13 Ski, work, or drink: pick two 06:36 The sober season experiment 08:43 Tamar’s 20-year-old snowboarder brain 09:36 Rosé at lunch, shots on the chairlift13:41 A word from our sponsor: Aura House 14:30 January 2027 in Méribel 15:34 North Americans welcome 18:06 Never skied? Start here 24:39 Watching strangers become friends 28:53 Pop culture pick: The Gentlemen 31:36 The Sober Swap, new in Backstage 35:13 Yoga, cold plunges, evening workshops 37:48 He didn’t build a support group. He built a room. 38:37 Where to find Soberski Sober Shots: “If I can not drink in a ski resort, then I can probably not drink anywhere.” (Ben Coombes) “You are allowed to go somewhere ridiculous and beautiful to find him or her.” (Alysse Bryson) Mentioned in this episode: - Soberski | Instagram @s0berski - Backstage with The Sober Curator: https://thesobercurator.com/backstage-with-the-sober-curator/ - The Sober Swap, our new October Backstage hang - Krysty Krywko, “Skiing Sober: Rewriting Après-Ski Without Alcohol” Getting sober matters. Staying sober matters more. SEASON 2 MERCH: https://shopthesobercurator.com/ This episode is brought to you by Aura House. Save 10% with code TSC10: https://go.shopmy.us/p-64140200 SC RESOURCES: - Meet the Contributors - Alcohol + Substance Use Disorder Guide - Recovery Nonprofit Resource Guide - LGBTQ+ Recovery Resource Guide CONNECT: www.thesobercurator.com | The Sober Sip newsletter: https://www.thesobercuratornewsletter.com/ | @thesobercurator on Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube + Pinterest Love the show? Rate, review + follow. It takes 60 seconds and helps more people find us. Feedback + guest ideas: thesobercurator@gmail.com Hosted by Alysse Bryson with co-host + producer Tamar Routly. For informational and entertainment purposes only; not a substitute for professional advice. Music: TSC S2 theme “Sober Shots” created by Alysse Bryson using Suno AI, under Suno’s commercial license.

    Sober Ski Trips Are Real: Soberski Founder Ben Coombes on Skiing the French Alps Without the Après

  6. Sep 30

    Gray Area Drinking, Wine Mom Culture, and Why Sober Is the New Trench Coat (with Ruby Williams + Susan Larkin of Sober & Lit)

    Sober is having a moment. NA beer is outselling the real thing in some markets, Dry January is an industry, and everyone is saying "gray area drinking" like it's new slang. So we brought in two people who've been in this conversation from opposite ends: Ruby Williams spent 20 years in the wine industry. Susan Larkin spent 20 years at Yale School of Medicine. They met as This Naked Mind coaches, became meditation partners, and now host the Sober & Lit podcast, 140 episodes deep. Same landing spot, two totally different rooms. Alysse and Tamar wanted to know what the collision looked like. In this episode: RAIN (recognize, allow, investigate, nurture), and why the same practice works whether you invite God or the universeWhy they renamed the show to reclaim the word "sober"How mommy wine culture normalized a bottle a night, from play-date teacups to swim-meet water bottlesReverse purse wine: the NA bottles Susan brings to parties (Oddbird, Tomorrow Cellars, Jøyus, H2o), and what happened when Tamar poured hers in a tumbler"If you go to the barber, you're gonna get a haircut," and why NA wine works for some people and not othersAlysse's Mad Men martini dining room, Ruby's stacks of "rosé all day" shirts, and the dad who replaced a wine club with National GeographicThe nurse at the cardiologist who said "if I miss, I owe you a drink"Normal drinkers don't justify: Tamar's one-line test CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open: sober is having a moment 01:41 How Ruby and Susan met 03:07 RAIN: recognize, allow, investigate, nurture 05:34 God or the universe, same practice 06:40 Why they renamed it "Sober & Lit" 11:27 A word from our sponsor: Aura House 12:15 The trends that made them cringe 18:04 Mommy wine culture: play dates, teacups, swim meets 21:54 Supersize my wine: the 13-ounce pour 24:02 NA wine picks: Oddbird, Tomorrow Cellars, Jøyus, H2o 26:56 Tamar's four bottles and the placebo effect 31:44 "Keep the ritual, ditch the alcohol" 33:00 Alysse's Mad Men martini dining room 34:39 Rosé all day: Ruby's wine-industry purge 35:39 Susan's dad, the wine club, and National Geographic 40:06 Hayden Panettiere and Brad Pitt, same week 41:14 Yale, gray area drinking, and doctors who prescribe wine 43:00 The pitcher plant: don't wait for rock bottom 44:17 "I owe you a drink": the cardiologist story 46:44 Normal drinkers don't justify 48:24 Would you pass around cigarettes at church? 50:55 Backstage, and why sober is the new trench coat Nothing in this episode is medical advice. If your relationship with alcohol worries you, talk to a licensed professional. SAMHSA's National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357. Mentioned in this episode: Sober & Lit podcast (Ruby Williams + Susan Larkin)Backstage with The Sober CuratorOur bonus episode on Hayden Panettiere and Brad Pitt Justin Kinney on kratom for The Sober CuratorThe Sober Curator Mixtape (Sober Snail Mail) SEASON 2 MERCH: shopthesobercurator.com This episode is brought to you by Aura House. Save 10% with code TSC10: https://go.shopmy.us/p-64140200 SC RESOURCES: Meet the ContributorsAlcohol + Substance Use Disorder GuideRecovery Nonprofit Resource GuideLGBTQ+ Recovery Resource Guide CONNECT: thesobercurator.com | The Sober Sip newsletter | @thesobercurator on Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube + Pinterest Love the show? Rate, review + follow. It takes 60 seconds and helps more people find us. Feedback + guest ideas: thesobercurator@gmail.com Hosted by Alysse Bryson with co-host + producer Tamar Routly. For informational and entertainment purposes only; not a substitute for professional advice. Music: TSC S2 theme "Sober Shots" created by Alysse Bryson using Suno AI, under Suno's commercial license.

    Gray Area Drinking, Wine Mom Culture, and Why Sober Is the New Trench Coat (with Ruby Williams + Susan Larkin of Sober & Lit)

  7. Sep 23

    TOMONOTOMO: The Sober Bartender Who Moved to Oaxaca and Built a Copper Still

    A Toronto mixologist spends years building other people’s nights out. COVID moves her cocktail classes onto Zoom, the kits sell, and she has never been less happy. So she books a one-way ticket to Mexico. Amanda Chen went from Tulum to a 10-day silent meditation retreat on the Oaxacan coast, walked out with no desire to drink, white-knuckled it for two years, and then found her people on a stranger’s patio at her first meeting. Then she did the thing nobody does: she stayed in the world of drinks and built TOMONOTOMO, a non-alcoholic agave spirit distilled by hand on a copper still in Oaxaca City, with real Tobalá agave and no shortcuts. Alysse met her at the Sans Bar Academy Awards in Austin, where they both took home trophies. In this episode: The one-way ticket, Tulum’s hedonism, and why she left at the top of her gameTen days of silence in Mazunte and the backpack she wasn’t ready to drop off the cliffTwo years of avoiding every room with mezcal in it, which in Oaxaca is every roomThe first meeting: an emailed address, a doorbell, and a woman who described herself as “batshit sober”Why “do you want a drink?” used to feel like an attack, and the fiancée who called itCopper stills, palenques, and the day mezcaleros started asking to live like herWhat “tomo” and “no tomo” mean, and the Pride label with about 10 bottles leftCarrie Bradshaw, cosmos, and why “Sex and the City” did not age wellWatching “Ted Lasso” from midnight to 5 a.m. while the still does its work Sober Shots: “That’s not a pivot, friends. That is a plot twist, and I love a plot twist.” (Alysse Bryson) “I’m ready to drop the ball, I’m not ready to drop the bag.” (Amanda Chen) Mentioned in this episode: TOMONOTOMO or #ADDTOCART ON AMAZONKim Parsley’s TOMONOTOMO Tobalá review on The Sober CuratorBackstage with The Sober Curator Getting sober matters. Staying sober matters more. SEASON 2 MERCH: https://shopthesobercurator.com/ This episode is brought to you by Aura House. Save 10% with code TSC10: https://go.shopmy.us/p-64140200 SC RESOURCES: Meet the ContributorsAlcohol + Substance Use Disorder GuideRecovery Nonprofit Resource GuideLGBTQ+ Recovery Resource Guide CONNECT: www.thesobercurator.com | The Sober Sip newsletter | @thesobercurator on Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube + Pinterest Love the show? Rate, review + follow. It takes 60 seconds and helps more people find us. Feedback + guest ideas: thesobercurator@gmail.com Hosted by Alysse Bryson with co-host + producer Tamar Routly. For informational and entertainment purposes only; not a substitute for professional advice. Music: TSC S2 theme “Sober Shots” created by Alysse Bryson using Suno AI, under Suno’s commercial license.

    TOMONOTOMO: The Sober Bartender Who Moved to Oaxaca and Built a Copper Still

  8. Sep 16

    Presently Bracelets: The Sisters With OCD Who Made Therapy Wearable

    You know the exact thing that would help. The phrase, the reframe, the tool your therapist gave you that one time. And in the moment your brain gets loud, it goes blank. Emily and Lindsay Stetzer are sisters. They both live with OCD and anxiety, and during COVID, in matching sweatsuits, they built a company called Presently that puts the reminders from therapy on your wrist, your keys, and your bathroom mirror. Alysse and Amy Liz Harrison met them at OCDCon in Seattle, bought one of everything, and brought them on to talk about why "good vibes only" is the enemy, why everyone has these thoughts, and what it is like to run a business with your sister when one of you has the 'tude. In this episode: - The OCDCon origin story: stickers, fidget spinners, and then a disco light at the end of the tunnel - Lindsay on lining up shoes and light switches, and Emily on the anxious kid who confessed to things that didn't need confessing - Why OCD is not about cleanliness, and why every single person has had these thoughts - Alysse's green-light rule, Amy's 20 lightsabers, and the "border hoarders" theory - The "Good vibes only" sign over Emily's bed, and why those mantras hand OCD exactly what it wants - The six phrases, whiteboarded: passing clouds, embrace uncertainty, brave the uncomfortable - Feelings are like gas (clouds are a nicer way to say it) - The iPad quiz, why Presently is the name, and the invisible brother - What we're watching: "Ted Lasso" season four, Hilary Duff, "Silo," and why a scary show is good exposure therapy CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open: the reminder you can't remember 01:58 Why sobriety doesn't fix the blank 02:58 Meet Emily and Lindsay Stetzer 03:10 OCDCon and the disco light at the end of the tunnel 05:21 Amy buys one of everything 06:40 Lindsay: shoes, light switches, existential OCD 09:38 Emily: the anxious kid and relationship OCD 11:22 A word from Aura House 12:12 Alysse's green-light rule and magical thinking 14:01 Why this is on a sobriety podcast 14:57 Border hoarders and 20 lightsabers 16:49 "What if" and the need for certainty 19:08 Not a live, laugh, love situation 20:36 The "Good vibes only" sign over the bed 24:41 The matching sweatsuit pitch 27:17 The six phrases, whiteboarded 30:39 Feelings are like gas 31:18 Why "Presently" 39:04 Working with your sister 41:52 What they didn't see coming 44:27 Watching: "Ted Lasso," Hilary Duff, "Silo" 46:29 ERP: facing the fear on purpose 47:38 Backstage, and why merch starts conversations 49:29 Where to find Presently Sober Shots: "We are not in a live, laugh, love situation here, okay?" (Alysse Bryson) "Every single person has had the same thoughts that we have. It's just to the extreme that you take them to." (Lindsay Stetzer) Mentioned in this episode: - Presently Bracelets - Take the Presently "find your reminder" quiz - Alysse's feature on Presently - Backstage with The Sober Curator - International OCD Foundation Presently's products are reminders, not treatment. If you think you might have OCD or anxiety, talk to a licensed professional. Getting sober matters. Staying sober matters more. SEASON 2 MERCH: https://shopthesobercurator.com/ This episode is brought to you by Aura House. Save 10% with code TSC10: https://go.shopmy.us/p-64140200 SC RESOURCES: - Meet the Contributors - Alcohol + Substance Use Disorder Guide - Recovery Nonprofit Resource Guide - LGBTQ+ Recovery Resource Guide www.thesobercurator.com | The Sober Sip newsletter: https://www.thesobercuratornewsletter.com/ | @thesobercurator on Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube + Pinterest Love the show? Rate, review + follow. It takes 60 seconds and helps more people find us. Feedback + guest ideas: thesobercurator@gmail.com Hosted by Alysse Bryson with co-host + producer Tamar Routly. For informational and entertainment purposes only; not a substitute for professional advice. Music: TSC S2 theme "Sober Shots" created by Alysse Bryson using Suno AI, under Suno's commercial license.

    Presently Bracelets: The Sisters With OCD Who Made Therapy Wearable
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48 Ratings

About

Getting sober matters. Staying sober matters more. That’s the whole premise. The Sober Curator Podcast brings sober lifestyle, pop culture and recovery to the mic with personality, perspective and a glitter bomb of honesty. Founder and host Alysse Bryson (sober since May 1, 2006, and self-described Kevin Bacon of Recovery) is joined by co-host and show producer Tamar Routly of Podcast Impact Studio, plus a rotating bench of global Sober Curator contributors who pull up a chair as co-hosts. What we cover, episode to episode: Happy Every Hour: zero-proof drinks, NA beer, spirits and cocktails, reviewed by people who actually drink them. Health and Wellness: mental health, physical health and what recovery looks like on a Tuesday. Lifestyle: dating, parenting, shopping, style and the everyday logistics of alcohol-free living. Entertainment: quit lit, movies, TV, music, sports and celebrity sobriety, rated with our proprietary Sobees. Spiritual Gangster: Jesus to astrology, stoicism to the Celtic calendar. Travel: sober events, sober retreats, Sobriety in the City and global travel without a drink in hand. We also review other sober podcasts on Recovery Podcastland, dig into sponsored product spotlights, and go deep with contributors on how they got sober and what keeps them there. New episodes drop as video on YouTube and audio everywhere you listen. Want more? BACKSTAGE with The Sober Curator is our membership community with Media Nights, Studio Nights, Edutainment Nights and The Sober Curator Mixtape, a monthly mini-zine delivered in a cassette case. Details at https://thesobercurator.com/backstage-with-the-sober-curator/ Whether you’re sober curious or decades in, we’ve got you. We’re not here to help you get sober. We’re here to help you live sober and love it. Rate, review and subscribe. It takes 60 seconds and we will love you forever. Contact: thesobercurator@gmail.com

Information

  • Creator
    Alysse Bryson
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    98
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Sober Curator
  • Show Website
    Sober Curator Podcast

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